


Scream

by emjellybean



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Among things, Blowjobs, Cutting, M/M, Minor Violence, Referenced Past Rape, Self-Harm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-17
Updated: 2014-11-17
Packaged: 2018-02-17 17:21:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2317331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emjellybean/pseuds/emjellybean
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There had been some murders going on in the town for the past few days and after Ray is attacked, but somehow survives, things in his life start becoming a little different and he isn't sure if everything is exactly good or bad. All he does know is that he's probably still on the murderer's kill list and that he met someone he can actually trust.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I suck at summaries, but yeah. I don't know how many chapters this will be, but it won't be that many. This is very loosely based off of the movie Scream (very, very loosely).  
> Oh and it's rated E because poorly written smutty things will happen later on.  
> Enjoy ^^

There had been some murders. One every day for the past four days. None with any sort of connection other than that they were all teenagers. Everyone knew about it, but, to many people's surprise, they didn't shut down schools, not even the high school all the teens went to. They all just went along with their lives like there wasn't teens being absolutely slaughtered. One of them was found in their house, insides on the outside and blood everywhere. Only one person ever reported seeing something, though. A man with a black, hood-like mask that almost completely covered his face, only showing his eyes. And it was the beginning of the school year, only a month in.  
  
Ray, a new student at the school, wasn't very happy about this. It's not like anyone was. He was alone most of the time at his house, so he wasn't comforted by the feeling that teenagers at the school were being murdered without mercy in the middle of the night. Yet, there he was, sleeping on his couch in the living room instead of in his bed. He'd fallen asleep watching a movie on his tv. He woke up when he heard a knock at the front door, just loud enough to wake him. He sat up and then got up from the couch, yawning as he walked towards the door. It was probably just his Aunt Lorie who forgot her keys. He saw them on the counter earlier. He opened the door and didn't see anyone there. "...alright." He closed the door. While he was going back to the couch, he heard a knock on the back door and sighed. "If this is some fucker messing with me, I'm gonna be pissed. I'm tired." He went to the back door and opened it, once again seeing no one there. He groaned and then closed it, locking it. "I hate people." He went back to the couch, about to turn off the tv when it turned off on its own. Ray stared at it for a second. "Okay..." He laid back down on the couch and closed his eyes when he heard a creaking noise and his eyes snapped open. He quickly sat up and looked around thinking, _I'm gonna get fucking robbed or killed right now...or both._  
  
The creaking sounds got a little bit louder before they stopped and at this moment, Ray knew that his life was over. He always figured that it'd end some other way, like him jumping in front of a train or something snazzy like that, but nope. He was either gonna get stabbed or shot or torn apart and he wasn't very happy.  
  
The person came into the room's view. They looked interesting, to say the least. They were wearing a black leather jacket, jeans, and that mask that seemed like the one that person described.  
  
"Fuck my life right now..." Ray said to himself. He was terrified, but his reactions when he were scared weren't even close to showing how he actually felt. He was frozen in the spot and the...whoever it was, was looking right at him and just standing there which made him even more scared. He slowly stood up. _Maybe they're friendly and...lost_. He saw the knife in the person's hand. _Or not..._  
  
They suddenly started to walk towards him and Ray fucking ran for his life the only thing going through his head is, "Fuck this shit." He ran towards his room, but fell in the process.  
  
The person caught up to him and held him down, running the knife across his neck. They cut lightly across Ray's collarbone, digging just a little harder when he heard the pained noises he made.  
  
Ray used the strength of his legs to push them off of him and he slipped away, running quickly to his room. He locked the door, putting whatever he could in front of it. There were a few reasons he ran to his room. First of all, that's where his cell phone was and second of all, if this didn't work, the fall from the window was probably high enough that he'd die. He could just try to land on his head; that'd probably work. He grabbed his phone quickly and dialed the number. He could hear banging on the door before the knife was stabbed right through it. He finally got the call through and he spoke as quickly and as well as he could without freaking out when there was a crazy motherfucker trying to cut him up. It was about a minute before they got through the door and Ray was ready to jump out that window like he would just fly away, but then there was sirens and lights outside and the person with the knife ran away before he could even get close to the window. Ray let out a sigh of relief and just hoped that they'd get him and he wouldn't still be out there. If they didn't get him, he didn't have much hope that he'd live for very long.  
  
-  
  
That night, he got questioned stupid questions, which he remembers doing not too long ago in a different scenario. He also got a tissue and a pat on the shoulder before they sent him off back home to sleep, which wasn't much good to him considering they told him that the killer is still out there. He didn't sleep again, but instead stayed awake, curled up on his bed. The police didn't need to do anything with the house and left only after a few minutes, so he was free to do what he wanted.  
  
He got ready for school the next morning without so much as an, "Are you okay?" from his aunt even though he knew that she knew what happened. Everyone knew. It was a small town and news spread very, very quickly. He was the first person, the only person, that got away.  
  
He got to school and people actually noticed him for a change, except it was only to ask him about what happened, ask him what the murderer looked like, ask him if he'd pissed himself, or tell him that he should've just died. He didn't get why people were so mean to him for no reason. They were just being assholes. He went off to his classes quickly and quietly, just wanting this day to be over and hoping that he'd be safe. During lunch, he went to the bathroom and went into a stall to just take a few breaths and be by himself for a little while. He heard the door open and a few people come in.  
  
"You really think he got attacked? Or is he just making it up. I mean, he didn't even seem hurt. The others didn't get away so easy, did they?" One guy, Earl, said.  
  
"Yeah. He's a lying shit." The second one, Aaron said.  
  
"Wasn't he the kid with the screwed up parents?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Yeah. His mom killed his dad or something while they were banging a couple months ago. It was a pretty big thing for a while. She's in jail now. She tried to claim she was being raped and it was self defense. Pft. I don't believe it. I mean, they were married. She was probably just a heartless bitch that wanted to kill her husband.."  
  
"Damn...he probably wants the attention like his mom got."  
  
"Yeah, probably. Come on, let's get to lunch. I'm fucking hungry."  
  
By the time they left, Ray was close to crying. He got out of the stall and sniffled, clenching his fists.

-  
  
When Ray got home, he went straight up to his room. He knew his aunt probably wasn't going to be home any time soon. He closed and locked the door, just in case and then sat down on his bed. He looked to the picture of him and his mom he had in his room. It was cracked because it fell down when he was trying to block the door when he was attacked, but he still kept it there. He refused to put a picture of his dad anywhere in his room or in his life. He was just an asshole and he hated him for what he did. Just thinking about it made him all sorts of upset. He took a deep, shaky breath and pulled up the sleeves of his shirt, looking at the scars, both recent and old there. He promised himself he'd stop cutting. He did it even before everything happened. It's not like his parents had a completely happy marriage or anything and he certainly didn't have a very good mindset.  
  
He opened his drawer and took out a knife that his aunt didn't notice go missing from the kitchen a couple weeks ago. He held it to the skin on his left wrist before making a deep cut, not even flinching this time even though it hurt. A tear fell from his eye and rolled down his cheek, but he wiped it away with the back of his hand and held the knife tightly in his hand as he made another cut and another and then one more deep one. He looked at the blood on his arm before tossing the knife back in the drawer and laying down, holding his hand to the cuts he made. He closed his eyes and just laid there.  
  
-  
  
The next day was, thank god, a Saturday, so that meant there was no school. He went to the living room and turned on the tv, hoping to watch something that could cheer him up, but instead the news was on, probably from when his aunt was watching it earlier and it's talking all about the killer's strike from last night. He would've changed the channel, but he noticed who the people that were killed was. It was Aaron and Earl and as he listened to what happened, he couldn't help, but feel just a little bad. They were found dead together, in a puddle of their own blood. Aaron's throat was slashed and Earl had been stabbed four times. They were wondering why it was two murderers this night instead of just the usual one as if it really mattered or made a difference.  
  
Ray looked at the screen for a little while before he changed the channel to something that actually made him smile a little. My Little Pony. Like hell he'd ever let someone know he watches that. It's not like anyone was ever around to see him anyways. After a while he took a shower and then ate some cereal. He wasn't sure whether he wanted to go outside or not, so he just stayed inside and pretty much watched tv until 6pm. And around that time, he put his hand on his collar bone where there was a long cut from when the serial killer got him. He was sure that would leave yet another scar on his body. He sat there for a moment and then sighed. "I need to get out of the house."  
  
-  
  
He got on sneakers and a light jacket before going outside. He honestly didn't care if it was late or dark. The serial killer went after Ray once and if they wanted to try to kill him again, he was glad to let them try and maybe succeed or maybe not.  
  
He put his hands in his pockets and just walked, planning on going around the block and then coming back home soon. That was until he heard footsteps behind him and he heard them stop when he stopped walking. He started again and then he heard them again. Except, this time they got faster and Ray started to run, but they were fast and they caught up to him quickly, pinning him down. Ray squeezed his eyes shut after seeing the person for a second. That person, again. It was already happening again. He knows that he told himself he'd be okay with it, but he really didn't want to go out like this.  
  
Ray didn't have much time for panicking or much time to start crying, though, because suddenly there was a small noise and the weight of the body holding him down was gone. He opened his eyes and saw the serial killer right there. He looked to the side at the person who attacked him and now could see that it was just some random other guy dressed as the serial killer who now had been stabbed. He gulped as he stared at the killer who was looking right back.  
  
The killer grabbed the body of the stabbed man and then started to walk away, leaving Ray behind to wonder why the fuck he wasn't killed.  
  
-  
  
Ray stayed inside the house until he had to go back to school on Monday, which he really wasn't looking foreword to. He hoped that maybe things would get well soon. They'd find the serial killer and maybe people would actually want to not be mean to him. Or he could find out why he was left alone when he could've been killed in about five seconds...or thirty minutes if he let him bleed out slowly.  
  
He sighed as he went outside during lunch, something that actually wasn't allowed at his old school, but at this school, pretty much everyone was outside. He went to an area on the side of the school and sat against the wall. No one was there, so it was where he usually sat. Most days he didn't want any lunch, but today he felt like having something, so in the morning he made himself a sandwich and got a bottle of water. He ate for a few minutes before there was noise beside him and he turned quickly to see a guy there. "..."  
  
The guy sat down next to him. "Hey." He smiled. And boy was it a nice smile.  
  
"...hi." Ray said, kind of confused on why there was someone talking to him and being nice.  
  
"I'm Joel." He said and held out his hand.  
  
Ray shook his hand. "I'm Ray" He said and then bit his lip. "Why are you talking to me?"  
  
"Because I want to." He shrugged. "What are you eating?"  
  
"Peanut butter and jelly. Not much."  
  
"Cool." There was a short silence.  
  
"So...how come I've never seen you around here?"  
  
"Because I don't have this lunch. I just didn't feel like going to class. You were all alone, so I figured you wouldn't be a douche and I decided to talk to you."  
  
"Oh. What grade are you in? This is the freshman lunch, so..."  
  
"I'm a senior. It doesn't really matter though, does it?"  
  
Ray shook his head. "I guess not. You seem to be the only nice person in this school, though."  
  
"Yeah, I know." He looked at him. "There aren't many good people out there. The few nice people have to stick together. The rest will rot someday anyways." He paused. "You think I could get your number?" He smiled.  
  
Ray nodded slowly. How could he resist a smile like his? One that made him feel all tingly. They exchanged numbers and Ray was surprised. He actually had someone's number on his phone other than his aunts, who he barely ever called. He smiled down at his phone, not noticing Joel looking at him fondly.  
  
"You finish your food. I'll head to class. Better late with a detention than never." He put his hand on Ray's leg. "Take care, Ray." He smiled softly and then got up and left before Ray could think of anything to say.  
  
"Whoa...what just happened?" He took a bite of his sandwich and smiled to himself.  
  
-  
  
Ray didn't even get that far out the doors of the school before he heard Joel call his name and walk up next to him. "Holy crap...how did you find me?"  
  
Joel chuckled. "You make me sound like some sort of bad person. Are you heading home?"  
  
"Yeah. I walk."  
  
"Can I walk with you then? It doesn't matter what time I get back home and it isn't far anyways."  
  
"Yeah...sure." He tried not to smile to show that he was happy, mostly because this guy was hot and he didn't do good around normal people, never mind the good-looking ones.  
  
Joel noticed, though and he looked down at him as they started walking. "You should smile. It's a good look on you."  
  
Ray blushed and rubbed the back of his neck, looking at the ground. "I..." He really didn't have anything to say. He wasn't much of a talker and he wasn't good at socializing with people. He hoped Joel would lead on the conversations, so there wasn't just an awkward silence and the horrible feeling like Joel would get tired of him quickly. He was glad when Joel just started to talk about a bunch of random stuff that Ray didn't really know about. Whenever he looked over at Joel he saw him smiling, usually looking right at him, so Ray quickly looked in another direction. He knew if he made eye contact for too long, he'd just end up staring at him or making a fool out of himself. Once they got to Ray's house, they went inside and Ray put his bag down.  
  
"Is anyone home?" Joel asked.  
  
Ray shook his head. "No...it's just me and my aunt, but she's barely ever home."  
  
Joel nodded and didn't ask any questions about it.  
  
"I don't have any games or anything, so sorry if you were planning on staying a while..."  
  
"No, it's fine. I get bored of games anyways. We could just watch tv or something. Maybe go to your room if you have a tv up there. Beds are more comfortable."  
  
"Uh...yeah. Just...I'll be right back." He went up to his room and made sure there was no knife or razor around and then made sure he didn't have any blood on the sheets or blankets. He never really cared to check. He cleaned up a little bit before quickly heading out of the room. He planned to go downstairs, but instead he ran right into Joel with a small yelp.  
  
"Sorry, Ray." He lightly grabbed his arm to steady him. "I was just waiting out here until you were done with...whatever you were doing."  
  
"Oh...well, I'm done so...come in?"  
  
"If you're sure." He smiled and walked into his room, his hand lightly brushing Ray's and Ray wasn't sure if it was on purpose or not. He walked over to the bed and sat down at the edge of it.  
  
Ray sat down next to him and looked down at his lap, playing with his fingers.  
  
"We don't have to watch tv if you don't want to."  
  
"Huh?" He looked up quickly and then back down. "No, it's fine. There's no remote though, so you have to use the buttons on the tv." He pulled the sleeves of his shirt over his hands.  
  
"...are you okay?" He asked. "You look a little nervous."  
  
"I-I'm fine."  
  
"Are you sure? There's nothing wrong? Not now? Not at school?"  
  
Ray kept his head down. "Well...I'm sure you've heard about what happened to me. The whole thing about the serial killer attacking me. It's made people...not so nice."  
  
Joel frowned. "I didn't know about that, actually."  
  
"Now you do. People are just such assholes." He sighed. "No one can be nice. If there's nice people, they must be hiding because I don't see them anywhere." He was silent for a second and when he spoke, there was a crack in his voice. "I-I dont know why...I just want my old life back. When I was in New York with my friends...and my parents." He suddenly felt Joel hug him tightly and it made him jump a little.  
  
"I'm so sorry." He put his hand on the back of Ray's head and gently pulled it to his shoulder, stroking his head softly. "You don't deserve this."  
  
Ray didn't hug him back, but he did relax into his comforting hold. "You don't even know me. I could be a horrible person."  
  
Joel shook his head. "No...I don't think so. You aren't an asshole like everyone else. You seem so...unappreciated by a lot of people. They don't understand how lucky they would be if they had you in their life."  
  
"I...why are you being such a nice person? You're just saying these things and I...I don't know." Some of his tears stained Joel's shirt and he pulled back.  
  
"I don't want you to be upset. I don't like good people being sad." He looked him in the eyes. "How about today we watch tv and hang out and tomorrow we can go to the park. Maybe after you can come to my house."  
  
Ray rubbed his eyes and nodded. "Yeah. That sounds good."  
  
Joel smiled at him and wiped away a few of his tears. "Good. Now, let me get something good to watch." He got up and turned on the tv, going through the channels before going to sit back next to Ray. The show he stopped on wasn't something Ray expected.  
  
"...My Little Pony?" He asked.  
  
"What?" He looked at him innocently. "I had nothing to watch, so I watched this. It's a pretty good show."  
  
Ray stared at him for a few seconds before looking at the screen. "Yeah...I know."  
  
"You watch it too?" He smiled. "Have a favorite?"  
  
"Applejack." He immediately answered with a mumble.  
  
"Really? I don't really have a favorite...I guess I'd say Rainbowdash, but I don't know..."  
  
"Applejack is fucking boss."  
  
Joel laughed. "Well, you have a solid opinion, I guess. That's good."  
  
They watched quietly for a while until there was the sound of the door opening and Ray froze.  
  
Joel looked at him. "Ray?"  
  
"Someone's at the door." He gulped.  
  
"Hey, I'm sure it's just your aunt."  
  
"But what if it isn't? What if they came back to kill me? They let me go last time I saw them..."  
  
"Ray, it'll be okay." He put his hand on his shoulder. "Trust me. You'll be fine and if it is them, I'll protect you."  
  
"I can't let you get hurt. You're too...you can't get hurt and you can't die. I won't let that happen just so you can try to protect me."  
  
"It'd be worth it." He thought for a second. "I'll be back. I'll go check for you, okay?"  
  
"Joel, no." He said, Joel already at the door.  
  
"I'll be right back." He reassured him with a smile and then went downstairs to make sure everything was okay.  
  
Ray bit his fingernails and he shook because he was so nervous. He couldn't hear anything happening. It was about a minute later when there were footsteps from the stairs and Ray was ready to run if he needed to, but he didn't because it was Joel.  
  
"Told you I'd be back." He sat down on the bed. "It was just your aunt. She almost pulled a knife on me until I told her that I was a friend of yours...I had to convince her a little, but it didn't take long, as you can see." He was glad when he saw Ray starting to calm down. "...do you actually like your aunt? I mean, she sorta seems like a bitch."  
  
Ray sighed. "No, I really don't. She's mean and she doesn't care about me. It's not even like she makes it subtle. It's really obvious that she gives no fucks about me. Most of the time she's out of the house and only twenty percent of the time she's gone is because of work. She usually just drops off groceries and then leaves. Only sticks around in the morning before she leaves for work. I'm surprised she's home this early, actually. She'll probably just go out again..."  
  
Joel frowned and then narrowed his eyes slightly, looking out the door. "But she gets you food?"  
  
"Yeah. That's about it except a place to live. Food is important, though, I guess."  
  
"Alright..."  
  
"Why were you asking?"  
  
"No reason." He looked back at Ray. "I guess she's pretty important then and if something happened to her you'd be in trouble, so....let's just hope nothing does." He took a deep breath. "Let's go back to watching tv."  
  
-  
  
The next day, Joel met Ray again after school, Ray still wondering how the hell he found him so quickly again. "Ready to go to the park?" Joel asked him, just as happy as ever.  
  
Ray nodded and he gave him a smile back, pulling at his sleeves to make sure they were down. Every day he was just getting more and more nervous about the killer coming after him and he wasn't sure being out in public would make him easier or harder to get. He didn't even notice that Joel was talking to him until they got to the park and he heard him stop talking. It suddenly just sounded pretty silent and Ray looked at Joel to see that he was okay, smiling, but he looked at Ray.  
  
"Wanna go on the swings? I'll push you."  
  
"I don't think I need you to push me, but sure."  
  
"I'm gonna do it anyways!" He grabbed Ray's hand to pull him along as he ran over to the swings. He sat Ray down on the swing. "You'll be fine."  
  
"Okay." He held onto the chains tightly and looked back at Joel. "I'm ready."  
  
Joel nodded and he started to push him, using his hand to push his back. "How high do you wanna go?"  
  
"Not too high. I don't like heights..."  
  
"Alright. As long as you have fun. That's what counts!" He pushed him for a little while before stepping to the side. "You're at a good height." He got on the swing next to him and started to swing, but it didn't last very long. "Holy shit. Ice cream." He stopped quickly. "Ray, wait here. I'm gonna get ice cream. Want chocolate?"  
  
Ray stopped his swing and sat there. "Yeah. I love chocolate."  
  
"I knew it." He grinned. "I'll be right back." He said, jogging to go get some ice cream.  
  
Ray sighed, but smiled a little. Joel was so full of energy that it overwhelmed him sometimes. It was nice, though, having someone there that just wanted to have fun. He looked down at the ground, smiling to himself when he suddenly felt someone tug on the chain of the swing and he looked up.  
  
The guy, whose name was Tony, looked at him. He wasn't a nice guy to anyone really and now that he's actually heard about Ray and knows who he is, he's sure to make something bad happen. "I heard about what 'happened'. Poor baby. Do you have a scar? Huh? You got any proof?"  
  
Ray shook his head, lying. He had a scar on his collarbone, but he wasn't showing that to anyone. He never wanted to show his scars.  
  
"Really? I bet it's fake then. Unless...you're just too much of a bitch to show me." He grabbed Ray's arm. "Is that what you are? There's some people saying that he got you on the arm." He took the sleeve of Ray's shirt in his hand. "Is that true."  
  
Ray's eyes widened and he shook his head quickly.  
  
"Well, doesn't someone have something to hide." He pulled up Ray's sleeve against his will, stronger than Ray is, so he could hold his arm in place, but he didn't get to see anything because he was suddenly pulled back and thrown to the ground.  
  
Joel fumed and he glared at him. "You get the hell out of here before I hurt you."  
  
"Yeah, right." He rolled his eyes and threw a punch at Joel, but Joel caught his fist in his hand and twisted it until he was crying out in pain. He pulled his hand away and then quickly turned and ran away.  
  
Joel watched him leave and then turned back to Ray. "You okay?" He asked, going over to him. He saw that Ray didn't pull his sleeve back down and he looked for a second, seeing scars before he took his wrist gently and pulled the sleeve back down. He saw that Ray looked scared and he stood him up. "Come on. Let's go to my house." He went over to the side and picked up two ice cream cups from the ground and handed him the chocolate one.  
  
Ray took it and he looked at it. "Thanks." He said, but he didn't sound so happy.  
  
Joel frowned. "No problem." He said and after a moment, spoke again. "You should eat it before it melts." He ate a scoop of his own. "It's really, really good." He smiled for him, hoping it'd make him happier, but Ray wasn't even looking at him.  
  
He took a scoop and ate it. "It is good." He agreed and it was all he'd said.  
  
Joel clenched his fist. That asshole made Ray upset. "Why don't I bring you home and you can come to my house some other day?"  
  
"I think that's a good idea."  
  
Joel huffed. Ray still wasn't looking at him. He didn't say anything, though and just walked him back to his house. Once they got there, Joel looked at him. "Don't waste the ice cream. Put it in the freezer if you need to." He smiled at him. "Goodnight, Ray."  
  
Ray looked at him just for a second. "Goodnight, Joel." He then turned and started to walk inside his house.  
  
Joel kept the smile on his face until Ray was inside and then he turned to the side and looked angry and determined. He threw the ice cream cup away and then took his backpack off his back and opened it, grabbing the black mask inside. He pulled it over his head. "Time to find this fucker."


	2. Chapter 2

The day that Joel attacked Ray was before he knew anything about him. He was kind of going just a little bit insane and he needed to calm down. After he ran away because the police came, he spent the next day spying on Ray and watching him, so he could find the right time to kill him. He didn't want anyone to live when he attempted to kill them. Ray was no exception, he just somehow got away. Then, he saw what Ray had as his life. He was sad, alone, and he didn't think well of himself. He soon found out about what happened with Ray's parents and he started to feel bad on the inside. He saw Ray cutting himself in his bedroom and he just couldn't take anyone hurting him anymore. He wanted to kill people who were assholes and Ray didn't deserve to die. He decided that instead of killing Ray, he'd protect him as well as he could.

That's when his first kill for Ray happened. Those two assholes he heard talking shit about Ray in the bathroom. He found out who they were and he killed them because they didn't deserve to live if they made Ray sad. He immediately knew that this was sort of an obsession, but he tried not to think about it too much. He went after Earl first, stabbing him four times, the same amount of times he'd seen Ray cut into the skin on his arm the same day. Aaron was next, a quick slash of the throat and then he left. They weren't worth much of his time, but he wanted to get his own mental point across that no one fucked with Ray.

The next day, he'd been watching Ray from outside the house, hidden. He saw him turn the channel to a show he always thought was pretty stupid when he saw it, My Little Pony, but he noted that it was something that made Ray smile. He could live with watching that for the rest of his life if he had to. He saw Ray get on a jacket and leave to go outside, probably to take a walk. He followed him from far away, silently and carefully. That's when he saw someone go after Ray and tried to hurt him, so he ran after them, stabbing and killing them without question before they could do any harm to him. He looked at Ray and saw the terror in his eyes. I'm sorry...Was what he thought before he quickly dragged the person's body away, needing to get it away from Ray as fast as he could.

After that, he pretended to be a student at the school, just in front of Ray, so he could get close to him. He knew that killing off the people that made Ray upset wouldn't make him feel any better, so he decided to meet him and be the best person he could to make Ray's life better. To make it fun and happy instead of lonely. He already hates himself. He knows he left a scar on Ray's collarbone and he doesn't want to see it because he doesn't want to see that he left another scar on Ray's body. He never wants to hurt Ray again. The other people he'd killed...they were worthless and horrible and stupid and just reminded him of the pain people caused him. He hadn't killed since that one person, who he found out was some stupid girl, attacked Ray Saturday night, though. He wasn't sure if she was just playing around and being an asshole or not, but he really didn't care.

That had been his last kill, but that was until Tony came and made things bad. Him and Ray were having fun and he knew that from the little smiles that he'd see appear on his face. But after Tony showed up, Ray wouldn't even look at him. He wanted to kiss Ray's scars and tell him that everything would be okay because he would make sure that it'd be okay, but he couldn't. He was afraid Ray would run away from him and he couldn't let that happen.

So there he was, Tony's lifeless body on the ground in front of him. He couldn't even bother with doing anything with the body and he just left it there before heading back home to find a recipe for chocolate chip cookies that he knew Ray would like because the first and last time he saw Ray eat chocolate chip cookies, he had that smile on his face that Joel just couldn't get enough of.

-

The next couple of days, Joel and Ray didn't see each other, mostly because Joel was too busy doing some other things to go to the school and see him. He just told Ray that he was feeling a little sick. When they did see each other, though, Joel walked Ray to his apartment.

"I didn't know you lived alone." Ray said. 

"Well, I'm old enough, so I moved out when I got the chance. It's a nice place. I like it." He lead Ray inside and then headed to the kitchen. "Just get comfortable." He told him from the kitchen. "I'll be there in a second."

Ray nodded and he sat down on the couch, looking around. "It is a nice place..." He said to himself. A couple minutes later, he saw Joel come out of the kitchen and sit next to him.

"Sorry for the wait. I was just putting some cookies in the oven to bake." He smiled.

"Really? What kind?"

"Chocolate chip. They're supposed to be good. I got the recipe from offline and I figured, why not, since you were coming over and I thought maybe you'd eat some too."

"Yeah, I'd love some." He smiled a little bit.

Joel beamed. "Good. What do you wanna do while we wait?"

"Uh..." He shrugged. "Maybe play a game or something?"

-

The rest of the night, they played some games of uno and ate a lot more cookies than they probably should have before they put the game away in the closet in the bedroom. Joel looked at the time. "So...it's kinda late. You want me to walk you home?"

There was a small silence before Ray shook his head. "No. I'll stay a little longer...if you don't mind, obviously." He sat on the edge of Joel's bed, looking at him.

"Of course I don't mind. You can stay as long as you want." He sat beside him, seeing him looking right at him, their eyes locking, but only for a second because Ray looked away. Joel grabbed his chin and gently turned his head to face him, smiling softly. He leaned close and pressed their lips together in a kiss.

Ray's eyes widened and he froze still for a few seconds until Joel pulled away. He noticed Joel looked worried, so he quickly kissed him again and put his hands on his chest to rest them there. After a few seconds, he moved back and licked his lips subtly.

Joel kissed his cheek. "That was unexpected." He kissed his cheek again and then slowly kissed down to his jaw, hesitating before moving to his neck. He smiled against him when he heard Ray whimper and felt him hold onto his shirt. He sucked gently at the skin as his hands slowly moved under Ray's shirt to hold his hips, his thumbs rubbing in small circles before they started to move lower and dip in the waist band of his pants.

"J-Joel..." He breathed out. "I don't think we should-" Before he even finished his sentence, Joel pulled back, not touching him at all anymore.

"Sorry." He said, actually a little afraid that he'd started to push it too far.

"It's fine...it's fine, I just...I'm not sure I'm ready for what you were probably going to do." He looked down, rubbing his arms, almost awkwardly.

"I get it. I only wanted to because it was you, but it's true that we haven't known each other long or anything and if you don't want to then you don't want to..."

Ray bit his lip and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "So, maybe I should get home then."

Joel nodded. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea." He stood up, Ray doing the same. "But you kissed me, so does that mean that...we're together or something?"

"I don't know...does it?"

"If you don't want to right now, that's okay. I can't wait, Ray." He grabbed his hand and held it. "I can wait as long as you need me to." He kissed his hand and then let it go. When there was silence, he looked at him with as much of a smile as he could muster. "Let me walk you home."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...I wrote a bit of the do in this chapter...  
> WARNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
> The almost smut is probably really bad written, but don't blame me, blame...science.  
> Enjoy.

Things were normal the next couple of days. Joel and Ray weren't a couple and they hadn't even kissed again, but they still hung out. It was Saturday night when there was a knock on the door while no one else was home except for Ray. He got up and opened it. "Ryan." He smiled. Ryan. Someone close to Ray and his family. He's a detective. He's worked on a lot of murder cases, so really, Ray should have known why he was there.  
  
"Hey, Ray." Ryan smiled back and gave him a quick hug.  
  
"What are you doing here? Especially this late?" He asked, pulling back.  
  
"They assigned me to the case of the murders that have been going on, so I had to come on down here. And I know it's late, but I thought I'd come see you...maybe ask your aunt if I could stay a while."  
  
"She wouldn't care. You can stay as long as you want. Come on in." He said, walking to the kitchen. "How've you been?" He got Ryan a glass of water.  
  
"I've been great." He followed him and then sat down in a chair. "I heard about what happened though...you're okay, right?"  
  
"Y...yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me." He gave him a quick smile and gave him the water. "I've even made a friend."  
  
"Really? What's their name?"  
  
"His name is Joel. He's really nice." He bit his lip to hide the smile that was forming.  
  
"Sounds like you really like him." He laughed.  
  
"Yeah. He's a senior at the school. Has his own place. Makes good cookies."  
  
"Oh. You know he has his own place...have you been there, then?"  
  
"Yeah. I go there almost every day, actually, now that I think about it."  
  
"Oh, Ray. Does your aunt know that you're going to a boy's house and doing, only I can imagine what?" He grinned, mostly just playing with Ray.  
  
"Sh-shut up, Ryan." He blushed and covered his face. "It's not like that."  
  
"Yeah, it is. I can tell. I don't know how far you two have gotten, but I know you like him in a more than friendly way."  
  
"You don't know anything...how can you even tell?"  
  
"Because I know you." He got up and walked over to Ray, moving his hands from his face. He looked at him for a second and held his wrist. "Can I?" He asked, holding Ray's sleeve in his hand.  
  
Ray nodded his head, barely noticeably.  
  
Ryan pulled up the sleeve and looked at the scars there. "...some of these are more recent. What happened? Was it because of the guy who attacked you? I swear, if it was, I'll kill him."  
  
"No, it's...well not really. I mean, after he...after he did that, people at school started being mean to me, for some reason and then these two guys said things about my mom..."  
  
"Okay." He nodded and pulled the sleeve back down. "I just wish you didn't feel like this." He paused for a second. "And I've been thinking...that maybe you shouldn't go to school for a while. For safety reasons. The killer is...well, he kills. You shouldn't go."  
  
"Why not? I was already attacked once. If he really wanted to kill me, he would have done it by now."  
  
"But..." He sighed. "Kids from the school you go to are dying, Ray. I'm just worried about you."  
  
Ray nodded. "I get that, but I've been okay for a while now, even though I'm alone in this house 99 percent of the time and when I'm not at home, I'm usually alone...or with Joel. Look, I'll be fine. Now, I'm gonna go to bed. The extra bedroom is right across from my room, so you can stay there. Just follow me." He said, walking. He showed Ryan the room and then went to his own room, closing the door behind him, not exactly wanting to talk to him anymore. He laid down on the bed and closed his eyes, quickly falling asleep.  
  
-  
  
Ryan woke up around ten next morning and got up from bed. He went to go to the bathroom, but when he opened the door, he saw Ray, standing in front of the sink, messing with his hair and face. "...Ray, what are you doing?"  
  
"Oh...I'm going to see Joel soon...and I wanted to look nice." He admitted.  
  
"You look fine. I'm sure your hair really hasn't changed that much since you woke up." He chuckled, still not completely awake. "Just go. Oh, and tell me more about him later. You didn't tell me much last night. Or invite him over with your aunt's permission. He sounds nice to meet. Now, go. I need to use the bathroom."  
  
Ray nodded and left the bathroom, closing the door behind him. He shook his head. "It's one of those times where Ryan is acting like my guardian or something." He went to his room to get some clothes before he left to go meet Joel at his house.  
  
-  
  
Joel was thinking about what him and Ray could do today. Ray liked playing games, so maybe he could show him some of the other games he had or maybe they could talk. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do yet, but he did know that he'd be able to just go with the flow when Ray got there. He heard a knock at the door and went over to it. He opened it to see Ray there, looking just as good as ever. "Hey, come in." He smiled and let him in, closing the door behind him. "You're looking just as good as you always do."  
  
Ray smiled and his cheeks turned a light pink. "So are you." He meant it, too. Joel's hair was a little messy, like always and he had some loose-fitting jeans on with a white t-shirt. Simple was a good look on him.  
  
Joel looked at him, keeping his eyes mostly on his face. He really liked Ray a lot, he really did. He had only known him for a few weeks, but he knew more about him than he ever had anyone else and he loved everything that he learned. The cutting, which he hasn't seen him do since Earl and Aaron, was something he didn't like, but he didn't dislike him for it at all. He just wanted to make him feel happy, to feel good, all the time. He knew Ray liked him back, that was obvious. They both knew they liked each other, but they still hadn't kissed or even mentioned anything since the first time Joel kissed him...and then Ray kissed him...and then things could have happened, but Ray didn't want to. He understood. He hadn't done anything like that either. He hadn't even interacted with people much since he was thirteen. He wanted Ray, though. He really wanted him in every way possible.  
  
"So..." Ray said, rocking on his heels.  
  
"So...what do you want to do?"  
  
"Me?"  
  
"No, the person standing next to you." He chuckled. "Yes, you."  
  
"Oh, I don't know. I kinda just came here because you asked and I wanted to see you." He looked down shyly.  
  
Joel smiled and couldn't help, but say aloud, "You adorable, you know that?" Before Ray could say anything, Joel took his hand and walked him over to the couch. "Just tell me what's new, if anything."  
  
"Oh...well, someone I know, Ryan, came over to my house. He's a cop detective person. It's obvious why he's here. The murders. There's been less lately, but still some, so he's checking in on it. That guy is obviously still around here somewhere."  
  
"Are you close to him? Ryan, I mean."  
  
Ray nodded his head. "Yeah. He's one of the people I have closest to me. He's like family to me. He...I know I haven't said anything about this." His voice suddenly got quieter. "I know that you know because you saw it, but I never said anything, but, um...Ryan knows about the scars on my arms. I haven't cut in a while, but the scars will always be there. Ryan is about the only one who actually cares and knows, you know. I don't know what you thought when you saw them, but you're still around me and like me and..."  
  
"Ray." He put his hand on the cheek, so he could look at him. "You're important to me. Of course I care about you." He looked down at Ray's arm and then took a gentle hold of it. "Can I?"  
  
Ray looked at him and then slowly nodded.  
  
Joel pulled up Ray's sleeve, being careful not to be too rough and looked at the scars. Then he went to the other arm and pulled up the sleeve. He held one arm in each hand and stroked gently with his thumb, looking down at them.  
  
Ray gulped and watched Joel, not moving his arms. He was getting a little bit nervous though.  
  
Joel leaned down and pressed a kiss to his wrist. He felt Ray jump a little bit, but didn't protest, so he kept doing it, pressing light kisses over his arm, wherever scars were before he moved to the other arm. "I don't like it when you hurt." He said, his lips still brushing over his skin. He placed a few more kisses and then moved back and looked at him. He cupped his cheek. "I care about you more than I care about anyone else in the world. More than I care about myself. And you might think that's a lot for me to say, but I can say with one-hundred percent certainty that it's true. I wouldn't want to lose you for anything."  
  
Ray stared at him, unsure of what to say. "Joel...I..."  
  
Joel smiled at him slightly and then leaned in and kissed him. It was soft and loving, just what he thought Ray needed from him. Love. He would never say that he loved him, at least not yet. He wasn't even sure if he could call what he felt for Ray 'love'. He had to be sure of his feelings and he wasn't very good at knowing how he felt, himself. All he knew was that he felt something for Ray that he never felt for anyone before. He needed to protect him, make him happy, make him feel like he was worth more than anything else in the universe because it was his job now.  
  
Ray quickly pulled back from the kiss in surprise, but regretted it because he really liked that, so he kissed him again and tried to move closer to him to get more comfortable. He felt Joel smile and thought he was doing something right.  
  
Joel moved his hand from Ray's neck to put it on his hip and he squeezed it gently. Then he deepened the kiss and relished in the sounds that came from Ray's mouth. He broke the kiss after a while and looked at Ray's flushed face, little pants coming from him. He smirked and started to kiss his neck. He sucked eagerly at the skin there, wanting to leave some sort of a mark and from the loud moans he heard, he didn't think Ray was very against the idea. His hands slowly slipped into Ray's pants, cupping his ass and squeezing. He heard a small gasp, but didn't stop. He removed his mouth from Ray's neck and pulled him in his lap, grinding their hips together.  
  
"J-Joel." Ray gasped and held onto Joel's shirt tightly. He buried his face in Joel's neck and moaned. When he felt Joel's finger press against his hole, his body shook and he groaned as he came. Not long after, he stopped shaking and instead panted heavily against Joel.  
  
Joel stopped moving his hips and he pulled Ray to face him. He examined Ray who was catching his breath, cheeks red from orgasm and embarrassment because he felt like he came really fast. Ray opened his mouth, but before could say anything, Joel kissed him, just a peck. He took his hands out from the back of Ray's pants and instead felt his crotch, chuckling softly when he whined. He was still hard himself, but he wasn't paying attention to that right now. "Wanna borrow some pants?" He asked, voice close to a whisper.  
  
Ray, who was still red with embarrassment, nodded.  
  
"I'll go get some." He gently pushed Ray off his lap and was about to get up when Ray stopped him.  
  
"But what about...?" He glanced down at Joel's obvious erection in his pants.  
  
Joel glanced down as well and then shook his head. "I'll just...take care of it somehow. It's my fault anyways." He shrugged, trying to play it off like he didn't actually really want Ray to do something.  
  
Ray frowned slightly and then hesitantly moved closer to Joel and reached for the zipper of his jeans. "Can I...can I suck you off?"  
  
Joel groaned before he could stop himself and nodded. "Yeah."  
  
Ray undid Joel's pants and pulled them down just enough, along with his boxers, to get his cock out. He gulped and gave him a few strokes. Then he leaned down and took the head of his cock in his mouth. He heard Joel moan, so he closed his eyes and took him in a little deeper, trying not to push himself too far, even though he really wanted to make this good. He wrapped his lips around him and slowly started to bob his head, so he wouldn't overwhelm himself and end up gagging. He felt encouraged when he heard Joel moan and put a hand on his head.  
  
"Fuck, Ray...that's so good." Joel ran his fingers through Ray's hair, thrusting his hips foreword only slightly. He knew he wasn't going to last very long.  
  
Ray hummed around Joel's cock and loosened his throat, getting used to the feeling of Joel in his mouth. He kept his mouth moving on his cock at a pace that he could manage, hand gripping the base to stroke what he couldn't reach with his mouth. He didn't get much of a warning when Joel pulled him off of his cock by the hair and he felt something hot on his face. He panted and opened his eyes that he didn't know he closed and he looked up at Joel.  
  
Joel panted and kept his eyes down on Ray. He leaned down and kissed him on the lips deeply, his tongue running over the roof of Ray's mouth. He stood Ray up, never disconnecting their mouths and he wrapped his arms around his waist, pulling him close, so their bodies were pressed against each other. After a long minute he finally pulled back and chuckled, noticing Ray's face wasn't very clean. "Why don't you go take a shower and I'll get you some clothes to wear." He said, voice quiet and breathy.  
  
Ray nodded and he pressed a chaste kiss to Joel's lips before moving back from him and walking to the bathroom, wanting to clean up.  
  
Joel watched him leave the room and then bit his lip. Both of them were thinking, _Holy shit. That actually just happened..._  
  



	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slowly, but surely updating.

When Ray got out of the shower, he opened the door a little and peeked out, seeing the clothes that Joel left for him: a white t-shirt and blue pajama pants. He put them on and then walked to the living room where Joel was sitting on the couch. He sat down next to him, not really sure what to say.  
  
Joel turned to him. "So...now are we a thing?"  
  
Ray nodded. "Yeah." He spoke slowly. "I guess we are."   
  
Joel smiled and he pulled Ray into his lap and hugged him, burying his face in his neck. He chuckled when he heard a surprised squeaking sound come from Ray's mouth. "I put your clothes in the wash. Once they wash and dry, you can take them and go home. I'm sure you have homework to do or something. Meanwhile..." He pulled back and kissed his nose. "Wanna watch a movie?"  
  
-  
  
Joel and Ray watched a random romantic comedy that they found on tv. It wasn't the best movie and both of them were pretty bored. Joel dozed off a few times and one time he fell asleep for at least five minutes. When he woke up, though, he opened his eyes and saw Ray sleeping with his head on his lap. He smiled and put his hand on his head, running his fingers gently through his hair. He kept his eyes on him for a while until he heard that the dryer was finished and he could get the clothes out, so he could give Ray his back. He tried carefully getting up while supporting Ray's head and he was surprised when he didn't wake up. He grabbed a pillow and put it down, resting Ray's head down on it and then he went to get the clothes. He put his own clothes away and then folded Ray's and brought them back to the living room. He saw Ray sat up, rubbing his eyes.   
  
"Hey." Joel smiled. "I have your clothes here if you're ready to head on home."  
  
Ray nodded and got up, stretching. He grabbed the clothes, kissing Joel's cheek as a thanks before he left to go change. When he came back, he handed Joel the clothes he was wearing. "I guess I'll leave then. I'll see you tomorrow?"  
  
"Yeah. of course!" He gave him a peck on the lips and then watched him leave the house, smiling to himself. He looked at the clothes in his hands and smelled them. Ray hadn't been in them for too long, but they already smelled like him.  
  
-  
  
Over the next week or so, Joel and Ray went on quite a few dates. They went out to dinner, Joel paid, they went to the park, they hung out at Joel's apartment, and they went to see a movie at the movie theater where someone was rude to them, but Ray tried to get past it.  
  
One day, Ray came home late at night. It wouldn't have been a problem, really, but Ryan was staying at the house now and that meant that he would be monitoring Ray all the time and pretty much just being his dad. He walked in through the door and closed it as quietly as he could. Then, the lights turned on and he knew he was screwed.  
  
"So, where have you been?" Ryan asked him, his arms crossed.  
  
"Uh...I was...I was just with Joel..." He bit his lip. "I didn't mean to be back this late."  
  
Ryan walked over to him and looked at him. "Fine, you don't seem like you...what's that?" He tilted Ray's head and looked at the hickey there. "When did this happen and why didn't you tell me about it? I didn't know you were sexing it up with him!"  
  
"We're not-" He blushed. "We haven't gone all the way." He put his hand on his neck.  
  
Ryan smirked. "So how far have you gone then?"  
  
"I...I...shut up...and how did you not know, you're a fucking detective." He mumbled. "...How's the case going, by the way?"  
  
"Ah...yeah, it's not really going anywhere to be honest." He sighed and shook his head. "Come here, I'll show you the files." He walked with Ray over to the table. On it were the people who were murdered, all in order. "First, there were these four." He pointed at the first four pictures, three girls and one guy. "Those were all one day apart from each other, one each day for four days. Then suddenly, there were two kills instead of one. I mean, it was...it was after you were attacked. It was the next night. I guess he gave up on you, but it was weird...two random boys in one night, apparently they were friends."  
  
Ray looked at the pictures. "Right...Aaron and Earl...I saw it on the tv..."  
  
Ryan nodded. "Yeah, I figured you knew about that...did you know this girl?" He pointed at one of the pictures. "That was the next death. Killed the next day. She was stabbed in the back, right through her heart. Maybe she was trying to get away when he got her."   
  
"I've never seen her before...this happened the night right after Aaron and Earl, right?"  
  
"That's right. Then, it wasn't until three days later, on Tuesday, that the next kill happened. It was a surprise to us and really threw us off, you know? Nothing for three days and then, bam. The boy's name was Tony, went to your school."  
  
Ray nodded slowly. "Yeah, I...remember him." He mumbled.  
  
Ryan frowned. "Hear he wasn't a nice kid."  
  
"Yeah, not really...so...anyone after that?"  
  
"Yeah, they just haven't released it to the public, exactly and you've been hanging with Joel too much to hear about what happened from people in town." He chuckled and then got serious. "There was nothing for a long while and then, this past week, there was a death. This woman, her name was Ellen." He picked up the picture and handed it to Ray. "I doubt you know her."  
  
Ray took the picture and he stared at it. "She looks...really familiar."  
  
"Really? Maybe you just saw her out somewhere?"  
  
"I don't know..." He looked at it, trying to remember. "...oh. She's the girl from when Joel and I saw a movie together. She was just...she was rude."  
  
"What do you mean, she was rude? What happened?"  
  
"She saw us holding hands and said some mean things and words like, 'faggot' and things...then proceeded to 'accidentally' keep kicking the back of my seat." He shook his head.  
  
Ryan rubbed his face. "People should be past that by now, especially the younger generation. She was, what? Twenty?" He sighed. "Man...anyways, that was the most recent one."  
  
"Okay...how do you know they're the same person killing them, anyways?"  
  
Ryan grinned. "We have our ways, but I just can't tell you...oh, and someone got a little look at the murderer. A young boy. He was hiding. I don't think he was lying when he told us the information either. He said dark, short, short hair, gave us a very rough estimate of height, a couple inches taller than you, and said he had dark brown eyes. The boy said he saw him take off his mask, but he only got a look at his face for a second and he doesn't exactly have the best memory. He couldn't describe the face well enough for a sketch artist. It's better than nothing, though." He looked back at the table. "Why don't you head on to bed. Your aunt stopped by earlier with some snacks if you want some."  
  
Ray shook his head. "No, I'm good. Goodnight, Ryan."  
  
"'Night, Ray. Sleep tight."  
  
Ray went to his room and changed into his pajamas before laying down in his bed. He thought about the murderers that Ryan told him about. He didn't know the first few people, but then there was Aaron and Earl. Then, a girl who had been stabbed at night. He thought about what he was doing that night. That was the same night that he...that the person went after him and the real killer killed someone...he knew about that one. Then Tony, which wasn't too long after he had said those things to him at the park. Then the woman at the movie theater and that night she died. She'd really upset him, but it's not like anyone would just kill her because she's a bitch...probably. He was upset with her, Joel was upset and...  
  
...  
  
No...  
  
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no...  
  
It couldn't be...right? He refused to believe that the one who did all this was Joel. It couldn't be. It was true that he never saw Joel or heard of Joel anytime before he met him...or even after. Now that he thought about it, no one ever spoke about Joel ever. He felt like he was the only one that knew him sometimes. And he never got attacked again after the first time. In fact, it was almost like the killer was trying to help him in a way, which seems ridiculous, but if, and that's a big if, the person who's killed people is Joel...it would make sense. Joel does care about him, at least he thinks, no...he hopes so.  
  
Ray shook his head and buried his face in his hands. "No..." He whispered. "Stop being fucking, stupid Ray..." Then he remembered the descriptions Ryan gave him. "Dark, short, short hair...a couple inches taller than me...dark brown eyes." He'd looked at Joel long enough to know that it was a decent description of him. "What if it is?" He felt a tear roll down his cheek and he mentally smacked himself. He felt like such a little baby.   
  
Ray kept shaking his head and he covered himself completely with the blankets. "No. I'm gonna go to sleep and then when I wake up, I'll realize how stupid I'm being right now." He knew that what he was saying didn't match what he was thinking, but he just hoped that what he said was true.  
  



	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end. It's probably not very good, but I wrote this late at night and with all my heart, so I hope you can appreciate it!  
> Let me know if there's any errors and tell me if the ending sucks balls.  
> Other than that, maybe enjoy? ^^;

When he woke up the next morning, he didn’t feel any better. He still knew that his mind was probably right, or more of paranoid that he was right. He didn’t want to be, but it just made so much sense. He got out of bed that day, feeling uneasy. He got dressed, brushed his teeth, and left for school without a word to Ryan. Ryan…should he tell him? What would happen if he did? They’d arrest Joel for suspicion that’s what and bad things would happen because if Ray tells Ryan something, he knows it’s serious.

He couldn’t focus at school at all that day. There was too much going through his mind. After school, Joel came up to him and asked if he wanted to hang out. He made up an excuse about needing to be home and left as quickly as he could. He couldn’t be around Joel right now. Once Ryan finds the killer and it ends up not being Joel then he can calm down and apologize, but right now he didn’t think he would be able to act normal with him. He felt dumb for this, but at the same time he felt like he was protecting himself.

This went on for a week. The only time Joel would see Ray is for a few seconds after school before he left after making up some dumb excuse that might not have even made sense. Joel was upset at first. He couldn’t understand what he did wrong or why Ray was purposefully trying not to be around him. Then, one night, he jumped to the conclusion that Ryan found out it was him who killed those people, but just didn’t have the evidence. He assumed that Ryan told Ray to stay away from him because he was dangerous. Anger ran through his body and he grabbed his mask and his knife, leaving the house in an instant.

-

When Joel got to the house, he knew that Ray wasn’t home because on this day of every night he went out to the store to buy some snacks for himself since his aunt never brought enough to last most of the time. He peeked through the window and saw that Ryan was in the kitchen, cutting up something. He hesitated for only a second before realizing that he’s done this a lot of times. This wasn’t any different. Except…it was the love of his life’s only friend, that he knew of. He almost backed away, but then the thought went through his mind. He was the whole reason that Ray wasn’t being close to him and loving him anymore. It was all his fault. He put on the mask and quietly opened the door to the house, walking inside. He walked towards Ryan and was almost surprised when Ryan grabbed him and held the knife to his neck when he got close enough. It didn’t take very much for him to get away. He elbowed him in the stomach and pushed him away. Then, he got out his knife. There was no way he’d win this fight. Ryan had a knife, too, they were equals, and Joel was on edge. He was angry. He wasn’t his normal self. 

Joel clenched the knife tightly and watched Ryan to make sure he wouldn’t make a move. He wouldn’t be able to do this without getting injured. He reached behind him and, before Ryan could react, drew a gun and shot him, once in the arm, another time in his shoulder, and another time in the stomach. He kept the gun pointed at his head, walking over to see him writhing on the ground, knife far from his reach. He almost shot him. He was so close to shooting him, but he couldn’t do it. This would make Ray upset. He wouldn’t be proving anything except the fact that he made the person that matters most to him cry, maybe even cut again. Joel gulped at the thought, seriously worried. 

“Fuck.” Joel whispered and he knelt beside Ryan. He hit him hard on the side of the head with the gun to knock him out, hurting his wrist a little in the process. Then, he took off the mask, putting it in his pocket, same with the knife and gun, glad he had a decent sized hoodie on that had big pockets. He picked up Ryan and started to run to the nearest hospital. He was started to regret anything he ever did. From killing those first few people to killing people that hurt Ray to this. He felt like everything was a mistake just in that moment. 

When he got to the hospital, he only stayed for a minute while they brought Ryan to be treated and then left even though they told him not to. He went back home and thought about everything he had done and how he was going to fix things with Ray.

-

Joel didn’t go to Ray, he didn’t want that. He wanted Ray to be comfortable enough to go to him. That’s what he wanted at first, anyway. He hadn’t heard from Ray a whole month after he’d hurt Ryan. He didn’t see Ray’s reaction, he didn’t see how or if Ryan recovered. He couldn’t bring himself to even check up on him. That was until, well nothing in particular really happened, except his patience snapped. He couldn’t wait any longer. He needed to check up on him, he needed to see him, he needed to say he was sorry or do whatever he needed to for Ray to be near him again. He knew exactly what to do.

-

Ray sighed, stressed out from the long day at school. All he wanted to do was go home and maybe watch some tv with Ryan, who was doing okay. He was glad he survived. When he first found out about it, he practically ran to the hospital to go see him. While he waited in the room by himself, for a second he wanted Joel to be there until he remembered the conclusion he’d come to. The thing he hated most was that he still really liked Joel. Too much, almost. For a moment he was almost at the point where he didn’t care if Joel had killed people or not because he loved him.

Ray walked home and found that Ryan wasn’t there. He was probably busy doing work stuff. He was in well enough condition that he could move, so he wasn’t giving up the case yet. He went up to his room and almost screamed when he saw someone sitting on his bed. “Joel?” His voice almost didn’t come out. He hadn’t seen him in so long. His first reaction was wanting to hug him, but he stayed still because something inside of him held him back.

“Ray.” Joel stood up. “Baby…” Even though he went to Ray’s house on his own, he didn’t know what to say.

“Joel, you should…you should leave.” He didn’t think he was ready for this.

“Not until you tell me why you started brushing me off every time in the first place.” He needed a direct answer from him. “Tell me. No matter what the answer is. I won’t be upset and I’ll tell you the truth, I promise.” He had a feeling it was time to confess something to him.

“I…” He gulped. “I got this idea in my head one night after Ryan had showed me some evidence that…that you’re the killer that’s been going around.” He looked at Joel, tears forming in his eyes and one slipping out and rolling down his cheek. “It’s not true is it? Please, tell me the truth.”

Joel hated to see him cry. He walked over to him and hugged him tightly, holding him to his chest. “It is me.” He heard a soft gasp. “But I won’t hurt you. I promise. I have an explanation for all of this. Just please let me hold you and…listen.” There was no response and then a nod against his chest. He knew that Ray must be just as crazy as him if he was letting someone like him stay in his house, in his embrace, but he was also very grateful. “When I was younger, my family was murdered. I ran away. Long story short, the bodies were burned and the police found my DNA along with my other family member’s DNA in it and declared us all dead, except I wasn’t. I thought it was perfect. I admit, I’m a little crazy, but isn’t everyone? I lived how I could, went by a completely different name, got some fake Ids, tried to live a little normally…I needed some sort of closure, though. I needed to get revenge on the people I saw kill my family. So…I killed their teenage child. After seeing how horribly she treated other people, I didn’t feel guilty. Then, I just saw more people treating others like shit and couldn’t stand it. I killed them, too…then I kind of went a little too crazy. I was going to go after you. Then I saw how shitty your life was and, honestly, I felt more like I wanted to protect you, so I did. I killed the people that made you feel like you weren’t good enough, people that made you cry or feel pain. I hated them more than anything else. You became my new priority.”

By this point, Ray was frozen still, unable to do anything, but listen. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to know it all, but he couldn’t help himself from listening to every bit of it.

“I became closer to you by pretending I went to the school. I saw the things that you liked. I fell in love.” He admitted. “Then, the next thing I know you don’t want to be near my anymore…”

“Did…” He suddenly spoke up. “Were you the one who hurt Ryan?”

“I…I was angry, Ray. I thought he was the reason you didn’t want me. I thought he’d figured out it was me and told you and I couldn’t stop myself. I shot him and regretted it. I brought him to the hospital. I’m sorry.” He spoke quickly. “I really am. I can’t…I can’t tell you how sorry I am for everything I’ve done to you, but I just hope that you can forgive me. The only thing I’ve ever wanted to do since I met you is protect you and lately I feel like I’ve been hurting you instead. I love you so much.”

“I-” He started, but cut himself off. He pulled back to look at Joel’s eyes. They were still the same eyes he knew. The loving eyes he saw whenever he’d look at him, but they were red and sad, dark circles underneath them. He pressed a gentle kiss to Joel’s nose and grabbed his hands, holding them. “I love you, too.”

Joel smiled at him. He hadn’t expected an answer, so he was happily surprised.

“But Ryan is a detective. One that’s looking for you. I can’t just…what am I supposed to do? Watch him fail on a case and pretend I don’t know? Or watch him succeed in catching you? I can’t stand either happening…”

“I know what you can do.” He squeezed Ray’s hands. “You can leave with me.”

“What?” Ray’s eyes widened.

“I need to leave this town. If I don’t, there’s no doubt that Ryan will figure it out eventually. If you leave with me, we can be together. You love me. That’s what you want, right?” 

Ray was unsure about all of this. “How can I just leave?”

“Tell me honestly, Ray, what do you have here? Other than Ryan who’s just gonna end up going back to where he came from soon enough. You deserve to go places. To be with someone you care about and I’m not about to let you go if you don’t wanna be let go…what do you say?”

Ray stayed silent for a long time. “I…I’ll go on a few conditions.”

“Anything for you.”

“First, no more hurting people. If you even think about it, I’m leaving you for good. There’s nothing you can do to convince me otherwise. Second, you have to have a plan. I’m not just running and ending up on the streets.”

Joel grinned. “I have everything planned out. Don’t worry your pretty face.”

Ray grinned back at him. “And I just need one more thing.”

“What’s that?”

“You got a pen?”

-

Ryan walked through the door of the house. “Ray!” He called out, looking around. “Ray!” He walked up the stairs. “You in your room?” He peeked inside of the room, but didn’t see anything. Walking further inside, he saw a piece of paper. His curiosity overtook him and he picked it up with his right hand, his other arm being the one that was shot, and read it.

Hey Ryan,  
So, you’re probably reading this and wondering where I am. Not there, that’s for sure. I won’t be in that house ever again. I guess you could say that I’m running away, but really, it’s the dumbass I’m in love with that needs to run. I’m probably a fucking idiot and honestly I don’t know if this is the best decision or not, but I love my boyfriend and I’m with him. I’m writing you this because I care about you and I want you to know that I’m safe and not kidnapped somewhere and I don’t want you looking for me. It’s your choice, really, whether you choose to find me or not, but I won’t be willing to come back. If you’re on my side, there’s a fireplace downstairs, so that’s a good place to get rid of the evidence, if not, maybe I’ll see you again someday. Joel might get caught eventually (yeah, I said it), but even if he does, I want to be there with him until the end. I hope you understand this. I love you, Ryan, but I think a new world is opening up for me. Good or bad, I don’t know. I know anyone would just see this as me being a dumb teenager, but what have I got to lose?  
P.S.  
I’m really gonna miss you.  
Love, Ray. Don’t forget about me.

Ryan stared at the letter, trying to process everything he’d just read. He rubbed his face. “This boy…” He went the stairs and sat on the couch, staring at the already made fire. He wondered if they made that before they left. He shook his head and looked at the letter again. “How could I forget you?” He spoke aloud. After a minute, he got up and, with little hesitation, dropped the note in the fire, watching it slowly burn. “I’m gonna miss you too, kid.” 

-

-2 years later-

Ryan looked at the files of a case he’d been working on. The case he’d closed off a few years before flooding into his thoughts. Another killer with multiple victims. He knew it wasn’t Joel. It couldn’t have been. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind. Ray wouldn’t have come anywhere near him anyways. They were far gone and it was hard for him to accept that. He tossed the files on the kitchen table and shook his head. “Time for bed.” He told himself, getting up and walking to his room. What he didn’t expect was to find a note on his bed. He looked at it. “Miss me?” Was all it said. It looked like Ray’s handwriting. “Ray!” He called loudly and looked around, checking for any signs on how anyone could have gotten in. He rushed out of his room and looked down the hallway. He sighed. “It’s not Ray, Ryan. It’s probably just some dumb prank from the kids next door or something. You’re tired.” He walked back to his bed and laid down after setting the note down on the table, covering himself with the blankets. He closed his eyes and let sleep overtake him.

The one thing he didn’t know was that from a distance, two people were watching him and wishing him well. Maybe they’d meet again very soon.


End file.
